The following description is provided simply as an aid in understanding the disclosure and is not admitted to describe or constitute prior art.
A compass is a navigational instrument for determining direction relative to the earth's magnetic poles. Accordingly, vehicle manufacturers commonly include a compass in vehicles to assist the driver with navigation. Generally, modern compasses include several magnetic field sensors. Like any magnetic device, compasses are affected by nearby ferrous materials as well as by strong local electromagnetic forces. In particular, a vehicle's magnetic field and/or other vehicle components may distort compass measurements. For example, sunroofs or window defrosters can generate enough localized distortion to adversely affect the compass' ability to measure the Earth's magnetic field and determine a heading.
Current compass systems continuously monitor and adjust to changes in the ambient magnetic field caused by vehicle systems. When changes in the ambient magnetic field are large and unpredictable it becomes difficult for traditional compass systems to adjust to these changes. Thus, an improved system and method for calibrating a vehicle compass to ensure correct measurements is needed.